A study of bamboo reinforced earth retaining structures

Abstract

Reinforced earth retaining systems became popular and came into extensive usage over the last two decades due to many advantages inherited in them. Different forms of reinforced earth systems had been developed in various parts of the world. For developing countries further advantages could be gained by incorporating locally available material. In the Sri Lankan road network, reinforced earth retaining structures made of a tyre facing and bamboo reinforcement meshes were used at several locations. The cost of these structure were as low as 30 % of an alternate gravity form. These structures have performed satisfactorily for over ten years and the research reported in this paper was carried out to study their behavior and to develop efficient design procedures. Pull out resistance of Bamboo meshes were determined and the tensile strengths were measured. A design method was developed based on these results. Models done in the laboratory were subjected to different types of loading simulating the loading conditions in the field. Test procedures were designed to check the durability aspect of bamboos and to establish appropriate methods of preservation.